Happy New Year
by AznTigress
Summary: Cloud and the gang are invited to partake in an age-old tradition in Wutai. Problems arise as he's not sure he's dressed for the occasion. -OneShot-
1. Chapter 1

**Happy New Year: Finding Red**

Cloud gives a sigh of exasperation as he looks through his closet, which didn't really have much sans for a couple pairs of black pants and extra shirts. He never really had a need to increase variety in his wardrobe since the only factors that he really cared about were comfort and whether it looked decent on him or not. So when Tifa came up and told him an hour earlier to find something red to wear to Yuffie's party tomorrow, he frowned more so than he did anytime before.

"Of all colors, why red?" he grumbles as he stood there with arms crossed, staring at his almost bare closet.

He hears footsteps come up behind him and realizes by the sound of them that Tifa was coming into his room.

"What's wrong?" she asks as she takes a place beside him. "You don't have anything to wear to the party?"

"You think?" he retorts back, still glaring at his closet.

"Well, I'm planning to take Marlene and Denzel to go clothes-shopping later," suggests Tifa. "Want to come along?"

Cloud was quiet for a few moments as he contemplated some thoughts in his head. "Why… red?"

"Don't ask me," replies Tifa, putting her hands on her hips. "Yuffie just said everyone has to wear something red. I didn't really think much of it."

"But…" Cloud utters softly as he tilts his head downward. "I look… weird… in red."

"What?" exclaims the young woman. "No, you don't."

"Yes I do," the blonde argues back. "The last time I wore red was for that one school play back home years ago."

"I thought you were a very cute little apple," notes Tifa with a smile.

"I looked like a huge Christmas ornament," grumbles Cloud.

"No, you didn't," responds Tifa with a slight giggle in her words. "You don't belong anywhere on a tree; you're too big."

The man turns to glare at the woman. "You're not helping."

"Sorry," apologized Tifa as she holds a hand up over her grin. "The shopping trip is still up for grabs. We're leaving in about an hour."

"… I'll think about it," Cloud declares with as much enthusiasm as Vincent at a children's daycare.

"Okay," exclaims Tifa, leaving the room and the blonde to his thoughts.

Once she was gone, Cloud returns his view back to the closet, which was still in the same state as when he first opened it.

"Why… red?"

* * *

The afternoon was warm and sunny as Tifa prepares to leave with the kids. Red XIII sat near the entrance of the bar, deciding to come along since he didn't really have anything else to do and human activities always fascinate him to no end. Marlene pops out of the bar and runs over to the red-furred creature to give him a welcoming hug. Denzel follows after the girl and decidedly pets the mammal instead. About three minutes later, Tifa comes out of the bar putting a petite wallet into a pocket.

"Okay, I think I have enough Gil for all of us," she declares with a smile. "So, where to first?"

"Well, I sure for one don't know where to start, seeing as I am very inexperienced in this field," asserts Red XIII.

"Hmm," sighs Tifa, putting a hand to her chin in thought. "I think I saw some nice shops over in the Sector 6 area. We'll head there first."

With a nod from Red XIII, the group begins to leave until the creature's fray-end ears perk up to pick up the sound of someone approaching from the direction of the bar. The four turn around in time to see Cloud coming up to them with a not-so-happy look on his face.

"I see you've decided to join us," affirms Tifa, clasping her arms behind her with a smile.

"I'll just buy a shirt," asserted the blonde. _And then I'll burn it after the party._

"At least it's something," notes Tifa.

With that said the group of five head over to the reconstructing Sector 6. As they began walking, Denzel quickly dashes to Cloud's side, looking up at the man with a glimmer of pride in his eyes. Marlene stays by Red XIII, keeping a hand on the creature's shoulders. Tifa smiles at the scene around her as she walks alongside Cloud, the sight looking more like a family than ever before.

* * *

Stepping into Sector 6, the group could tell that things were starting to come together in the area. Whereas the little shops were previously overwhelmed by the construction effort, enough was built to move the reconstruction area elsewhere, leaving a new environment that was never finished in years past.

"Shin-Ra never did finish building Sector 6, did they?" affirms Tifa, putting her hands on her hips. "Looks nice with Reeve and the WRO taking over construction of it."

"Yeah," agrees Cloud, who was also enthralled by the sight of Sector 6 coming together. "I wonder…"

"Ooh, let's go in that one!" squeals Marlene, pointing to one of the clothing shops that had a couple racks of clothing lined outside. "I see a dress I want."

"Onward, shall we?" declares Red XIII, smiling at the little girl's enthusiasm.

While Tifa and Red XIII help the kids pick out some outfit combinations, Cloud half-heartedly browses through the racks, looking for the simplest red whatever he could find.

_Why… red…?_ the thought keeps cycling through his troubled mind over and over. _Why… red… of all colors… Why…?_

"Hey, it's you!"

The blonde-haired swordsman turns around to see a redheaded woman clad in a blue shirt and matching bandanna along with a pair of dark green pants rush up to him. Tifa hears the commotion and goes over to where Cloud was standing.

"It's really you!" exclaims the unknown young woman excitedly. "The cross-dresser!"

Darkness rains over Cloud's head as he could physically feel his dignity level dropping dangerously low. _Oh… no…_

"What?" exclaims Tifa, surprised by the woman's words.

"Don't you remember me?" the woman asks Cloud. "I'm the store Keep. You helped my father, the Owner, a few years ago. By the way, do you still have the dress?"

Denzel, Marlene, and Red XIII hears the woman's ranting and stare suspiciously at their blonde friend, especially Denzel, who doesn't really know what to make of his hero now that he's hearing all of this.

Tifa was perplexed by the woman's words until a memory finally clicks in the back of her mind. She looks at her childhood friend and opens her mouth in a silent gasp.

"So THIS is where you got that dress," she exclaims with a chuckle.

"Tifa, please," exclaims Cloud, covering his face shamefully with a hand.

"So you and Aerith went shopping here to…" Tifa could barely keep from falling into a giggle-fit. "Oh… my… word!"

"Do I even want to know?" Red XIII asks inquisitively with a hint of rhetoric.

Feeling that he's been embarrassed enough for one day, Cloud thrusts a red t-shirt into the smiling Keep's face. "I'll buy this if you would please keep quiet about all of that."

* * *

It was near evening by the time the group finished their shopping expedition. Tifa was still grinning from ear to ear as she tries to repress any desire to laugh, still unable to keep out the image of her blonde friend in a purple dress. Cloud, on the other hand, could swear that his cheeks were so hot with embarrassment eggs could be cooked on them.

Almost as soon as they entered the Seventh Heaven bar, Denzel finally asks what's been on his mind the entire trip.

"Did you really wear a dress?"

In an instant, Tifa was on the ground laughing as much as she should have the first time she saw the man in a dress. Even Red XIII began chuckling a little, imagining the poor man in an indistinct dress wielding his Buster Sword. Cloud said nothing as he silent struts off to the stairs up to his room with his clothing purchase and closes the door.

**To Be Continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Sorry it took so long for me to finish this story. I had trouble figuring out how to end it.

* * *

**Happy New Year: The Party**

The next afternoon, Cloud puts on the red t-shirt along with his usual black pants and accessories. Looking into the mirror, he grunts a "humph" as he admitted he didn't look half-bad with the fitting shirt. He just wished the store had a less intense shade of the red shirt, which would've made him stick out a lot less than the red light he was wearing.

_It's just for the party,_ he keeps thinking to himself. _Only a few hours. Then, into the fire it goes._

He pats his right pocket, the glowing mastered Fire Materia contained within its cotton weaves, ready to activate at the owner's discretion.

* * *

Stepping downstairs to the bar, Cloud could see a plethora of faces standing around waiting. Barret was near the door with arms crossed, a red tank top visible under his new pearl-white vest. Nearby stood Vincent, who didn't really have to do much to dress for the occasion; Cloud could almost discern a smug expression behind the high belted collar of the pale-skinned man. Next to the bar sat Cid with Red XIII on the floor beside him. The kids, Denzel and Marlene, wait patiently in their new red-themed clothes as they sat on the sofa next to Red XIII with Marlene petting the mammalian all the while.

Curious, Cloud approaches the blonde pilot, who didn't wear anything close to the color red.

"Didn't you get the message, Cid?" he asks the man. "Everyone's supposed to wear something red."

"I _am_ wearin' red," argues the pilot. He tilts his head down slightly and points to his cigarette box. "See? _That's_ red right there."

"But that—"

"Look, I don't look good in red, okay?" Cid sighs, scratching the back of his head. "Sierra tried to convince me to dress up for the occasion, but I just look ridiculous in anything red. T-shirt, sweatshirt, sleeveless shirt; heck, I even tried on a dark red version of my pilot's jacket. It just doesn't work on me."

Then he leans in on Cloud's ear and puts a hand up. "You, on the other hand, remind me of a huge Christmas ornament for some weird reason. Maybe it's the hair?"

If glares could kill, Cid would be dead on the floor right that instant. But, unfortunately, they do not and so Cloud just had to contend with a mere frown.

"Where's Tifa?" he wonders, deciding to focus his thoughts elsewhere.

"She's changing," spoke up Marlene.

"Maybe you should go check on her, Marlene," suggests Barret, his arms crossed over his now red chest. "See if she needs help with her dress or somethin'."

"Okay, papa," responded the little girl, getting up and skipping up the stairs. She made sure to be careful not to crumple up her dress or undo the hair bun that Tifa had meticulously put together earlier.

Cloud smiles as he watches Marlene leave, wondering what Tifa would look in her new dress. That was, until his thoughts were interrupted by a solemn voice.

"So, does anyone here know why we're supposed to wear red today?" inquired Vincent.

"Well, not _all_ of us are wearing red," points out Sierra in her red spaghetti strap party dress, smirking at her husband who merely scoffs and turns away in embarrassment.

"Th' little squirt just called me up an' told me to wear something red-colored," responds Barret. "Hung up th' phone 'fore I could even ask anythin'."

"Obviously this day has some meaning for Yuffie," spoke up Red XIII. "As old as I am, even I am not familiar with anything quite like this."

The room falls silent as not a single soul could discern the meaning behind the individual displays of the color red each person donned. A thought came up in Cloud's head but before he could express his thoughts, the sound of two sets of footsteps echoed through the room. All heads turned to the stairs where Marlene was descending carefully followed by a beautiful Tifa wearing an elegant red sleeveless dress with an oriental collar and decorated all over with floral designs of an unfamiliar flower. Her untied dark brown hair cascaded down her back and a little over her right shoulder, fluttering slightly with each step she took. Although not one for make-up, Tifa had decided to wear a slight tinge of lipstick just enough to offset her petite lips and complete her transformation into a gorgeous woman.

Jaws of the male species dropped at the sight of a crimson angel descending the steps with ease. Even Denzel can't help but widen his eyes at the sight of Tifa looking even more feminine than she usually does.

"Well," Tifa chuckles nervously. "How… do I look?"

"You're beautiful, honey," chirps Sierra, clapping her hands together. "That dress is just fabulous."

"Very pretty," adds Marlene with a smile.

"Thanks for helping me zip up the backside, Marlene," said Tifa.

"No problem," the little girl responded with a thumbs-up.

"So then, shall we get to the Highwind?" spoke up Sierra. Silence greets her and the woman saunters over to her stunned husband and nudges him particularly sharply in the ribs, soliciting a wince from the blonde-haired man. "The Highwind?"

"Uh, yeah, the Highwind," grumbles Cid, rubbing the spot where Sierra more or less punched him. "Let's head out!"

Everyone heads outside to the waiting two vans which would take them to Edge's newly built airship port where the Highwind was located. Cloud and Tifa were the last to leave the bar since they needed to lock the place up once everyone was out. Taking out keys from her complementing purse, Tifa locks up the Seventh Heaven and turns to the vans with Cloud by her side.

"You look… good," the man expresses quietly, unsure of the right words to say.

Tifa smiles in response as she walked. "Thanks. You look good, too."

Cloud chuckles at her compliment. "Yeah, like a good Christmas ornament."

The both of them muffle their laughter as they got into one of the vans together. The drivers, who happen to work for Cid, close the doors of both vehicles and drive off towards the airship port where the refurbished Highwind hovered loudly overhead.

* * *

The Highwind landed somewhat far outside of the city of Wutai onto one section of its grasslands. Once outside, the group was stunned at the sight of the area, which was vastly different from when they first visited the place, excluding the kids and Sierra. Wondrous trees bloomed with petals of various shades of pink and turned the landscape from earthly to something close to supernatural. Fallen pink petals dotted the green grass as even more snowed down softly from the trees and the passing breeze. Aside from the kids who immediately began running around trying to catch the falling petals, the rest of the group knew not of what to make of the sight. That is, except for Vincent, who seemed unfazed by what is deemed to be unfamiliar to the others. In fact, the man seems to gaze at the falling petals with increased interest.

"It's so beautiful," gasps Tifa. "I wonder what these trees are."

"Oh, those are cherry blossom trees. They usually bloom at this time of the year."

Tifa nearly jumped at the sound of the new vocal addition, turning around to find herself embraced in the arms of a familiar little ninja girl.

"Hi everyone!" greeted Yuffie with a grin that threaten to tear her face apart. She skips around in her reddish kimono adorned with floral designs similar to the ones on Tifa's dress. The silky sleeves ran well over her hands and what's left below her chest wrap gave it a skirt-like appearance. "Welcome to Wutai! If you think these cherry blossoms are something, wait 'til you see the plum blossoms!"

The girl stops in her skipping upon seeing Cid and his no-red-in-sight clothes.

"Hey, I said for everyone to wear red!" she yells out as she steps up to the man.

"I _do_ have red!" argued Cid, pointing to the half-red cigarette pack tucked under his goggles.

"That's not even an article of clothing!" responds Yuffie. "Everyone was supposed to wear red today, no exceptions!"

"What's th' reason fo' us all dressin' up in red?" spoke up Barret, stomping up to the teenage girl.

"All will be revealed in good time, Barreto," assures Yuffie. "But first, we need to do something about Cid."

"I'm just fine the way I am," grumbled the man in question.

"No, no, no, no, _no_!" argues Yuffie, stamping one foot firmly to the ground. "You're going to ruin the surprise. Augh, who has something red for Cid to wear?"

"I'm not puttin' on anythin' red, even if my life depends on it!" declared Cid stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Yuffie stood in thought until her eyes lit up and she pulls out her Shuriken. She then proceeds over to Vincent who looks on with alarm.

"What are you doing with that?" he demanded nervously as he takes a step back.

"Aww, come on, Vinny!" spoke Yuffie with the Shuriken still in hand. "You've got so much red cloth on ya; I'm sure you can spare Cid some."

"One: do not call me Vinny," said the gunman firmly. "Two: I'll die before I contribute any article of clothing of mine to that smoke-aholic; and thr—STAY AWAY FROM MY CLOAK!"

The next thing anyone knew, Vincent was running off with Yuffie chasing behind him with her weapon.

"Come on, Vinny! Just one strip!"

"No!"

"Oh, wait just a second," perked up Sierra as she rushes back to the Highwind. Everyone watched the chase with amusement until Sierra came back with something red in her hands. She walks over to her husband and hands the object to him. "Here, honey, put this on."

"Th-that's my Christmas scarf!" stuttered Cid.

"It's red, isn't it?" affirmed Sierra.

"Are you nuts? It's #$&-ing hot out here!" debated Cid.

"Just humor the poor girl," pleaded Sierra.

"Aww, fine!" groaned Cid, taking off his jacket and wrapping the scarf around his neck so that the white fluffy ends lay over his chest and back. Finished, he wraps his arms tighter in front of his chest and frowns.

"There, that wasn't so bad," smiled Sierra, taking her husband's jacket.

With that done, Yuffie stops chasing Vincent and began skipping towards the gate to Wutai. "Follow me everyone!"

Vincent and Cid gave exasperated sighs as they were left with no choice but to follow the spunky ninja along with the others. Cloud could only chuckle as he replays the scene inside his spiky head as they walked along. Once inside the city walls, gasps were heard from the girls and women at the sight of a completely transformed Wutai. Cultural decorations hung from all the buildings and petals from the scattered plum and cherry trees dropped from their branches like light snow.

"Told ya the plum blossoms were nice," said Yuffie, heading down towards the weapons shop. "C'mon guys!"

"Hmm, I'm guessing there's some sort of cultural tradition going on," surmised Red XIII as he walked along with the others, gazing at the city around them.

"You can say that," responds Vincent, flicking a cherry blossom petal off of his gun holster.

"You know somethin' about this, don't ya?" spoke up Cid, nudging the man with an elbow.

"I'd much rather let Yuffie explain it to everyone herself," replied gunman.

While the others spoke, Cloud was busy staring off into the distance, scanning and examining with his blue eyes everything in the town to see what had changed and what hadn't. One blink and immediately the man saw something that causes him to pause in his step and his heart to leap to his throat.

There, in the midst of snowy trees was a couple dressed in red and walking along in the opposite direction. One had a very familiar style of spiky black hair and the other long brown hair tied back and braided. At first Cloud thought his old friends had come back from the dead to visit him once again, but upon close examination, he soon discovers they were entirely different people from what he had imagined. A tinge of sadness fell upon him until he felt a warm hand lay over his left shoulder. Turning around, he was met with crimson eyes.

"Cloud?" exclaimed Tifa, concern written all over her face. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing," replied the blonde-haired man. "Just thought I saw something, that's all."

Tifa simply smiles in response. "It's okay to miss them. I miss them, too."

Cloud lets out a small sigh. Was it so obvious?

"But you know," began Tifa. "I don't think they want you to be sad about them anymore. I think, more than ever, they want you to be happy. As long as you're happy, they'll be happy, too."

"I know," Cloud replies half-heartedly. "I just wish… they could be here with all of us."

"But they _are_ here, Cloud," said Tifa. She then proceeds to point at his chest. "They're right here with us… in our hearts."

The blonde-haired man hangs his head down and chuckles in response.

"I know; it sounds corny," Tifa chuckles as well. "But, it's true if you believe."

Looking up at his childhood friend, Cloud gives a little smile. "Thanks… Tifa."

"No problem," replied the woman. In one swift move, she wraps her arm around the man's. "Now, then. We're supposed to have fun today so let's do just that. Zack and Aerith wouldn't like it if you're always moping about them."

Before long, the group was at the doors of what looked to be a rather large hall that seems to have been built specifically for celebratory purposes.

"I don't remember this being here before," notes Cid, taking out a cigarette.

"No smoking!" snapped Yuffie as she slaps the offending item out of the man's hand.

Cid was stunned by the sudden attack so much that his eyes and mouth remained wide in surprise. Sierra simply shakes her head and pushes the man forward as Yuffie opened the door for everyone. As soon as they were inside the hall, Godo immediately greeted them holding an unlit lantern in hand.

"Welcome everyone," he exclaims. "And Happy New Year!"

"New year?" Cloud exclaims in response.

"Wasn't that a month ago?" spoke up Barret, scratching his head.

"That's the New Year according to the solar calendar," explains Gorkii, who popped up out of nowhere. "We go by the lunar calendar and, according to that, _today_ is New Year's Day."

"Ah, that explains everything," notes Red XIII.

"So go on and explore Wutai, everyone! Mingle! Mingle!" chirps Yuffie. "Oh, and before I forget!" Reaching behind her, Yuffie pulls out two red envelopes and hands each one to Marlene and Denzel. "According to tradition, all the kids get money on lunar New Year."

"Hey, what about us?" wonders Barret.

"You guys get candy," answered Staniv, holding out a bowl of Asian candy.

"Mmm, candy…" grumbles Cid sarcastically. "I'm too old for money but not too old for candy. This holiday makes no sense."

The kids, on the other hand, accept their gifts with huge grins on their faces.

"I like _this_ holiday," squeals Marlene.

"Me, too," agrees Denzel.

Later in the day, Yuffie introduces the two kids to the other children in Wutai and teaches them the basics of lighting firecrackers to scare away the old year to make way for the new. Cloud could only smile at the festivities as he looked on with interest, watching as Sierra and the others frantically try to put out the fire. During one session, an ember lands on Cid's scarf, causing one the cotton ends to go up on flames. Laughter erupted from the group as the three minors and Sierra rushed to put the fire out.

Cloud looks over towards the grove of snowy trees and suddenly finds himself looking at another couple. Only this time, it wasn't Zack and Aerith he saw… but his own parents. His eyes did not deceive him as the man and woman stood before a bright white light. Cloud said nothing as the woman looks at him with tender eyes.

"I'm so proud of you… my son…"

With that, she turns around to join her husband, who simply waves back with an assuring grin. "See you later, Chocobo head."

In moments, the white light embraces them both and they were no longer there. Cloud smiles that same smile he did that day back in Edge and felt ready to start a new year anew.

**The End**

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, I know; it kind of got corny towards the middle. I blame Kingdom Hearts. And yeah, I know the ending sucks. I'll replace it with something better once I think of it.


End file.
